I don’t know about you, but this is what I desire. To be so filled with faith and love for my Savior that it practically drips from me. That you can see the ideas eating the darkness like little parasites to reveal the shiny beacon of light that is Christ in me. That I stand so firm in the storms that it could only be from the power of God. That I see the majesty in so many things that it spreads joy like the winds to the four corners.

How about you? What do you want your faith to be like? What are you doing to fulfill that?

I am teaching the science center at our local Bible school this week. Several different denominations got together and we do it for the whole community–which I love! It is not about theology but getting kids closer to Jesus and faith. Making it just about them for one week. Helping them find God in everything and every moment. Leading them to live and love like Jesus.

Majesty–in this passage Peter is reminding them that he got to witness, “Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight.” We were there on the holy mountain with him. We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears.”

But that majesty that we get to witness can be just as powerful when we link it to Jesus.

It could be the amazing mountains, mighty waters, miles of grassy plains, the infinite stars of the galaxy.

OR

It can be the molecules that give magnets power, the atoms that line up to give a substance strength, the mixing of different liquids that combines to create gases.

Fascinating isn’t it how we need water so much, and yet it can be such a burden at the same time. We want there to be just enough. And we don’t want to have a drought or a flood. Have you ever listened to water in its different forms? I’m guessing you have. The pitter patter of rain, to the drumming of a downpour. The rippling of tide, to the crashing of waves. A trickle from a faucet, or incessent drip all night long. It has its own music that can turn our emotions inside out. It can calm us to sleep or it can excite us to a frenzy.

What if we thought of those waters as the Holy Spirit? What if we thought about how God is in the calm, bringing quiet, or He is in the storm crashing and calling to us. How will we react to His calls? Will we listen and receive them? Or will we ignore them? His voice is mighty and powerful whether it is small and quiet or enormous and loud. Our first step is just to recognize that.

These cravings…I don’t know about you but I can eat something I am craving, and I still feel empty—I don’t want it to stop. Just one more bite and it will be all right. I am never quite satisfied.

But with Jesus…there is satisfaction. There is a lightness, yet fullness. Have you felt that? A completeness. And I know that what He fills me with is good. Goodness in its perfect form.

Let’s pray today…

Savior, Creator, Spirit–you fill us in ways we cannot imagine. We pray to you often with our concerns, our praises. Today we come merely for the satisfaction of YOU. We put aside all of our earthly cares and seek communion with You Lord. We know that you fill all the little crevices in our bodies and souls. We know that you are sweet goodness overflowing and never ending. We do ask that you help us recognize that what we crave is YOU…that fullness and satisfaction that only you provide. Help us seek YOU. Let us remember that You are our portion. And that You are all we need, in this life and eternity. Amen

Speaking of Coca Cola yesterday, and then this pie…man do they taste GOOD. I love me some pie–cherry, peach, rhubarb, chicken…it doesn’t matter whether it is sweet or savory. I love pie. I cannot resist it. The same with Coca Cola. Pepsi I can walk away from. Mountain Dew–yucky. Iced Tea—mmmm, depends. But Coke–yummy. Want it. Gimmee.

What if we looked at faith that way? What if we had faith in Christ as our favorite food served up beautifully before us? How could we not desire that? How could we resist digging in and wanting seconds, thirds, forget it….just give me the whole darn thing!

That is what our faith should be like! God wants us to crave Him and his love and fellowship like we crave nothing else. He designed us to want Him every moment of the day–and then our free will got in the way and humans separated from Him. And they have been searching for ways to get back closer to our creator ever since! How ironic is that?

And the thing is, once we do taste how good His love and grace is, you do crave it constantly. Because it is sooooo good.

You see, we are all choosing to make God our Lord. We are choosing to recognize that He is our Savior. We know that we have a portion of His heart and we choose to fill our cups with that love and peace.

Over the years I would tell my kids that each morning Mommy woke up with a big pitcher of patience. And I would have to pour out a little each time I needed it to parent them. Sometimes the pitcher was still full that night. Sometimes it was spilled early in the day and then that made the rest of the day harder.

But imagine this: God’s pitcher of patience never runs out with us. His cup of love and peace and understanding for us is always full because only He can constantly replenish it.

I think too of all the stops to McDonald’s I have made these sports seasons for Coca Cola to keep me moving. And that last slurp, the shake that maybe there is magically more stuck between the ice (why do I do that?), and the frown of sadness that I know I make.

God has free refills. And you don’t have to stop at a specific place to get them. They are constant. Why would we not seek that? Our lot, our portion with God is neverending.

Sorry no post yesterday and that this is one is late this morning. Both Annika and Tanner were on baseball teams for the Iowa Games this weekend and Jeff coached Annika. It was a busy weekend, lots of sun, lots of people. Went well overall. The one thing that always bugs me is we can’t make it to church. So I try to squeeze in Bible time, worship songs, whatever I can with the kids. When we drive we listen to sermon podcasts. But it’s not the same as fellowship worship with other seekers of faith.

I look around the crowds and wonder, how many of them know Jesus? Some are chasing sports dreams, some enjoy the camaraderie, some the outdoors. But they never seem satisfied. A lot of people spend their weekends looking for ways to find peace after hectic and stressful work weeks. Fishing for ways to feel complete that they can take with them the rest of the week. Not that they recognize it as such. But really that is what they crave. At least, I know I crave Jesus. I crave that peace. Every day.

Sometimes I wonder what would happen if churches focused on that more. On filling the empty wells with peace rather than pushing to do more. Maybe if we all felt that peace we would be more willing to want to share it with others. I think too often we use the church as a marketing tool and not as a medicine to salve our souls and bring us closer to God. Which is the whole point.

Ya’ll know I preach having quiet time with God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. Ya’ll know I encourage you to look for them all day long. Ya’ll know I think praising them should be a dancin’ clappin’ reachin’ up to them affair. It’s because I have learned that doing those things provides ways to BE with God. Not just letting them walk along side you. Not just letting them carry you. But holding onto them and breathing in that constant. Just relaxing into them, yet pulling the Trinity along with you every where you go.

Let’s pray today:

Trinity we want to BE with you today and everyday. Today we promise you to take a moment, a minute, maybe more throughout our day to just stop and praise you with our deep breaths of love and satisfaction. We confess we are going to screw up today despite our efforts to follow your path. We confess we need you to be with us. We confess that we are in need of you and that we surrender to your love and the joy it can bring us now and the hope in eternity. Let all of our moments we give to you, being with you, collect into a life that is a beacon to others. Encourage us Trinity to rejoice in those moments of being–of understanding your majesty and in thanksgiving. And we pray that you feel our love returned to you.

More playing…lots of collage is happening around here. I wear Modge Podge and glue like perfume lately. In fact, I got gel nail polish to protect my nails from all the goo. (Everything washes off it like a charm and I have great nail color and long healthy nails. Bonus.) I bought a hymnal at a garage sale that has this bright white paper and thickness–perfect for collaging, so you will see lots of music notes popping through art for awhile.

I know my art time, meditation, and the prayers and songs over the finished pieces is pleasing to me. I just hope it pleases Jesus. I am guessing it does. I know I feel His presence. I know I feel Him inspiring me lately. I know that the Bible says He loves when we spend time communing with Him.

How do you meditate with God? What words do you share with Jesus? Are they pleasing? Can you feel His pleasure?

Maybe this blog is part of that time with Him. You can easily look up the verses in the art in the Bible and find the rest of the words. Pray over them. Study them. Write down your own thoughts and prayers. Maybe you even make art to go along with it as well. Maybe you sing. Maybe you go cook, or garden, or drive to work and meditate on it. Whatever you do, I hope you are connecting to our Savior and feeling His joyful love in your life.

I have been playing with my art. I got bored with just watercolor. 🙂 I decided to outline this peony with white–I used liquid frisket (a rubbery liquid that dries and keeps water and color from soaking into there) to draw the lines and the leaves. And I loved the result. I sure hope you do too.

And then this verse just fit my positive vibe lately and the brightness of this piece. It is so much easier to live life when you know who you are trusting. When you have a personal line directly to Jesus. When you know that He knows you implicitly, completely, fully–and that it isn’t necessary for us to know His individual thoughts, plans, etc. because His are so much bigger and brighter and something to look forward to. What a blessing to KNOW. To TRUST.

I write my prayers down. Not every day, but often. Helps me keep track of everything I want to talk to Jesus about. And lately I have been able to start with lots and lots of praise. It takes Him awhile sometimes, but He does come through and I can see progress lately–for me, for family, for friends. It can be hard to rejoice the little steps when you are wanting big ones. But it is worth it. The joy that fills your heart with gratitude is a fantabulous thing.

This is me: Nicole Plymesser Nelson (aka nicplynel)

Welcome! I paint an artwork every morning during my devotions--based on a quote, a Bible verse, or my thoughts. It helps me pray, refocus, and learn about my Christian faith and life. This is where I share my creations as a ministry, along with words that I hope will encourage and inspire you. You can get prints of the artwork you like in the Etsy shop. Please, share in the love-subscribe, share on Facebook, and comment! I love to hear back from you.

Copyright Info

All artwork here is original...designed and executed by Nicole Plymesser Nelson. Pieces are not watermarked directly across the image, but at the bottom so you can enjoy them. Please stop by the shops to purchase hard copies for your use. And Please share the website, shop, and image information with others with links back to nicplynel. Thank you for respecting my hard work as an artist and business owner!